Kickstarter Project: Blaze Headlight Projects Laser Bike Lane

posted by Colin McCaleb - December 4, 2012 - 1pm EDT

Blaze has been in the works since we first got word of it last year. Now it’s moved onto Kickstarter to collect funding. A product coined by University of Brighton student Emily Brooke, Blaze is a headlight+laser combo that illuminates the road while also projecting a green laser lane in front of the cyclist. The laser feature alerts drivers when the cyclist is in a blind spot and hopes to add a new dimension of safety to bicycle commuting.

Click ‘more’ for pics, specs, and pricing…

The light itself is a tad above 80 lumens (a hefty amount of light for city riding) with a rechargeable lithium ion battery that’s said to last 6 hours full power, 12 hours blink. With a length of 110mm, weight is kept under 200g with a waterproof aluminum casing. Blaze has three settings – full power, blink, and a low setting that replicates a flashlight. The laser and headlight are activated separately with two different buttons and are set to blink alternately on flash to keep you visible.

Blaze is Kickstarting for $80, has 19 days to go, and has already surpassed its goal. Congrats!

Comments

Doesn’t look like a very good idea to me. Just don’t see that it’s very effective, especially washed out by glare of headlights and streetlights.

B - 12/04/12 - 3:21pm

^^ This

Psi Squared - 12/04/12 - 3:47pm

I wonder how effective it actually is. How likely is a driver to see that given that a driver’s attention is focused further down the road?

David - 12/04/12 - 4:07pm

Every time I’ve been involved in an “accident” with a motor vehicle it’s been because the driver just flat out didn’t bother to look. How is projecting a green laser onto the ground next to cars going to help? We already have warnings painted on the road, in fact in Australia where I live, the bike lanes are painted bright green already.

MattK - 12/04/12 - 4:27pm

The stated goal is to reduce accidents from cars turning into cyclists, from the video I don’t see how the projection on the ground is going to help. Her demonstration of a pedestrian stepping out was good case, but I couldn’t see how the laser was anymore visible than running a lamp on the front of your bike. Motorists are not going to be looking down for signs and the project distance appears to be around 10-15 feet, which is not much of a distance for motor vehicle reaction. Still it looks cool and if you add it up with all the new reflectors and lighting devices on the market, you should be very visible.

Iowa-biker - 12/04/12 - 4:44pm

Maybe version two will have a 3D hologram function that will create a peleton for drivers to see. Even if they’re out to hit a cyclist intentionally, the hologram would certainly reduce their chance of picking you out of the pack.

Dan - 12/04/12 - 5:49pm

Yes a 3D hologram, that’s what we need ! And maybe a shotgun on the handlebar so you can open fire if they dont see your hologram.Or a time travel device to go back before the accident. This device is 90% useless.

Ventruck - 12/04/12 - 6:09pm

A laser projection could be visible through a headlight’s shine on the road. One can recognize a projection in daylight through some of the simplest pointers (albeit with very limited distance). There then exist two problems: laser intensity vs. user safety, and like said this is only a projection on the road. Not everyone can/will peep past their hood and bumper when coming out of a blind intersection. They’re just looking level. I don’t think this idea is a complete solution, but it’s a pretty decent measure. If anything, it needs a more distant and stronger projection for the sake of more leeway of driver anticipation.

Interesting idea. I doubt that drivers will look for the little green bike, but they will likely see it in their peripheral vision. Being green helps alot, as it is a fairly unusual color for a road, and our eyes see it very easily. The question here is, does it work better than just having a bright light shining on the ground?

If somebody can’t see cyclist with light on his helmet or handlebar how is he going to see some signs displayed on the road… i’m using 900 lumen light on the streets and not every driver can f*kin’ note that i’m there… especially on the crossings

Brandon - 12/05/12 - 2:09pm

I think it is a cool idea. Not sure how well it would work. What I would rather see is a rear light that mounts and projects a 3ft safe passing zone for cars to see. Not sure if that would be possible or practical, but that is what I am more worried about while riding, getting hit from behind with out any control.

Post a comment:

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website

Comment sections can be a beautiful source of knowledge, conversation and comedy. They can also get pretty ugly, which is why we've updated our Comments Policy. If your comment isn't showing up or suddenly disappears, you might want to check it out.